One day after Lane Kiffinwas terminated by USC, the subject of who his possible replacement would be zeroed in briefly on Washington coach Steve Sarkisian (among a few other names).

Sarkisian denied interest in the USC vacancy at his weekly press conference on Monday, adding that he was proud to be with the Huskies.

“I have great respect for USC and the rich history and tradition they have. But I’m proud to be the head coach of the 15th-ranked team in America right now and all the hard work we’ve put into this program the last five years to get to this point to be in an awesome matchup on national television this Saturday night against a national championship contender in Stanford,” Sarkisian said. “That’s where my focus is.”

The speculation about Sarkisian comes because he was an assistant at USC under Pete Carroll for several years before taking the Washington job.

The chances of Sarkisian being offered the job are remote, since USC is unlikely to hire yet another Carroll protege so soon after firing the last one. However, since the media needs to fill space, look for Sarkisian’s name to come up quite a bit in the next month or two as a possible replacement for Kiffin.

More likely than not, USC will go for a proven and successful college head coach without ties to the school.

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it a little presumptuous when a guy tells the press he’s not interested in a job he hasn’t been offered–and likely wouldn’t be offered?

allan357 says:Sep 30, 2013 9:48 PM

Deb, how do you know he wasn’t already asked by a member of the press whether he was interested? In that case, he’s simply answering a question.

Deb says:Sep 30, 2013 10:14 PM

@allan357 …

Very true. Forgot he was speaking at a press conference, so that’s probably exactly what happened. Never mind 😉

soundsofsuccess7 says:Sep 30, 2013 11:23 PM

Well that’s great because there are plenty better options than 7 win Sark.

danoregon says:Oct 1, 2013 12:34 AM

I think it will absolutely be someone from within the “Trojan family.” Yes, the run under Carroll was fun, but it is kind of a wash now because of the sanctions. Carroll had no ties to the program – and worse, he brought Kiffin (no previous ties to the program) in.

Think Jack Del Rio. They wanted him when he was HC at Jacksonville and ended up with Kiffin.

cappa662 says:Oct 1, 2013 12:57 AM

I wouldn’t mind seeing Sark as the HC at USC. I always thought he was a much better fit than Kiffin. Kiffin could recruit, but can’t coach a pee wee league football team.

If I remember correctly, it was the previous AD that wanted Del Rio. He was in a panic mode while he was searching due to recruiting. Haden has plenty of time to fill the HC position. I feel he is a thorough man that will do due diligence in his search. FIGHT ON!!!